


Stress Does Funny Things

by DreaminginCabeswater



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Anal Sex, Cunnilingus, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, First Time, Hand Jobs, M/M, Oral Sex, Sexual Tension, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-07-15
Packaged: 2018-04-09 09:49:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4343846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreaminginCabeswater/pseuds/DreaminginCabeswater
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's finals week of their senior year and stress has finally taken its toll on the Raven Gang. Ronan, of course, is immune to the stress, while Gansey is overwhelmed. Blue and Adam react a bit differently. And after Orla lets Blue in on a little secret about her kissing curse, there is no stopping her from getting the stress relief she wants.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Studying is Hard

**Author's Note:**

> This is 7 chapters of pure smut. (All characters are 18+) I thought Blue deserved some action, so here it is, and I'm a sucker for Pynch. I hope you enjoy it! Please leave me comments on what you liked or how I could improve my writing. Thanks! :) 
> 
> Find me on Tumblr at DreaminginCabeswater. 
> 
> The Raven Boys and Blue do not belong to me. They are property of Maggie Steifvater.

Finals week. The bane of every high school senior’s existence. The weeks before spent pouring over textbooks, writing essays, taking notes. Dozens of chewed up pencils, crumpled paper, dried out highlighters, cold dinners, leaky pens, longing looks at pillows. A time of torturous hell. Until it came down to the final hours spent under the yellowed light of a lone desk lamp scouring notes, reading texts, flipping over flashcards, jamming more and more knowledge into an already full brain. All culminating with a single test that could make or break a person.  
  
“Okay, Einstein, how did the syntax in Beowulf signify changes within the Anglo-Saxon culture?” Ronan raised an eyebrow in challenge from his spot next to Adam’s desk at St. Agnes.  
  
Adam twirled a pencil in his hand and spouted back an answer that made Ronan smile. A smile that made Adam’s insides churn.  
  
“No one likes a show off, Parrish.”  
  
Adam rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help but smile. The stress of finals week was getting to him. The idea that these last tests could prevent him from going to an Ivy League school was too much to bear, but he was glad Ronan promised to help him study.  
  
“I still can’t wrap my mind around how you’re not even stressed. It’s finals week. What if the exams drop your GPA?” Adam knew the answer to the question, but he still had to ask it.  
  
Ronan laughed mercilessly. “Come on, Parrish. You know me. I couldn’t give a shit short of a fuck about these goddamn tests. They’re a load of bullshit. They don’t affect me like they affect you, and you know it.”  
  
Adam knew all too well. He wished he was more like Ronan when it came to things like this, but his ride to an Ivy League school relied on these tests. He had to take them seriously.  
  
Adam sighed and pulled out another flashcard. This one for Ronan. “What does the symbolism within The Canterbury Tales signify to the reader?”  
  
Ronan smirked. “Don’t fuck the old hag under the tree or you’re gonna get syphilis, and your junk will fucking wither and fall off, and then you’ll go bat-shit crazy.”  
  
Adam slammed the flashcard down on the desk, covering his face with the other hand, trying not to laugh. Ronan took full advantage of the opportunity and started poking him in the side along his ribs.  
  
“Come on, loser, you know you want to laugh. Just do it.”  
  
“No. I refuse to laugh at your lame-ass attempts to get me to laugh.”  
  
“I guess I’m just going to have to try another approach.” Ronan scooted closer, his legs caging Adam into the desk.  
  
Adam’s stomach clenched. He wanted nothing more than lean into his boyfriend and kiss him with all his might. Stress, Adam discovered, did funny things to him. Ronan had picked up rather quickly on how all the stress of finals was affecting Adam. Ronan took advantage of it at every opportunity, but Adam refused to let himself give in all the way.  
  
Ronan trailed a long finger up Adam’s arm and to his collarbone, leaving goose bumps in its wake. Adam closed his eyes, savoring the sensation.  
  
“You’re evil,” Adam said, giving Ronan a sideways glance.  
  
Ronan smirked, looking every bit like a devil. “You were expecting an angel?”  
  
Ronan laughed and leaned forward to trail his lips across Adam’s jaw and down his neck. Adam leaned his head back into his boyfriend’s mouth, his breathing quickening. Ronan bit his collarbone, drawing a moan from Adam’s lips.  
  
The moan turned into a groan, and Adam batted Ronan away. “Studying is more important.”  
  
Ronan pulled back, feigning horror. “Since when is studying more important than you being intimate with me?”  
  
Adam’s face twisted in disgust. “Did you just use the word, ‘intimate?’ Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?”  
  
“Sadly, he has wasted away from lack of sex.” Ronan sighed, placing a hand on his chest over dramatically, and looked wistfully to the ceiling of St. Agnes.  
  
“Ronan-”  
  
“Adam,” Ronan mocked.  
  
“Stop distracting me,” Adam said, wishing finals were over and he could take Ronan up on his generous offer. “And, you need to go study.”  
  
“Everything I need to know is right up here, Parrish,” Ronan said tapping his temple. “And a little stress relief would do you good.”  
  
Ronan closed the distance again and nibbled at his ear. Adam groaned.  
  
“You’re making this hard, Ronan.”  
  
Ronan smirked, raising his eyebrows. “That, is _exactly_ what I’m going for.”  
  
Adam laughed and threw a spiral notebook at Ronan.  
  
“Your antics already got us kicked out of Monmouth,” Adam said. “Watch it, or I’ll send you to the choir loft.”  
  
“My antics? I didn’t see you complaining when I pushed you back on those textbooks,” Ronan said his eyes sparkling with mischief.  
  
Adam sighed, his cheeks burning, and looked down at his desk. “What did you expect? You’re too damn good at what you do.”  
  
Adam could feel Ronan’s smirk. “Don’t get a big head, asshole.”  
  
Ronan’s smirk turned into a dangerous smile. “You know I have a big head, don’t you? You love my big head.”  
  
Adam doubled over into laughter, and Ronan joined him.  
  
Finally able to catch his breath, Adam said, “You asshole.”  
  
Ronan pulled Adam into his arms and kissed him. It was long and slow, like sipping tea on the front porch on a lazy summer evening. With each tug at his lips, Adam felt his tension and stress start to melt away. When Ronan finally slid his tongue against Adam’s bottom lip, Adam forgot all about studying and finals. All he could think about was Ronan. The way Ronan’s lips caressed his like a silent prayer. How Ronan’s tongue wrapped around his in a languid dance. Ronan’s hands and arms pulling him close. In that moment, there was nothing except Ronan.  
  
With gentle hands on his chest, Ronan pushed Adam back. Adam slowly opened his eyes, as if waking from a dream. Ronan’s blue eyes carried such affection it made Adam’s heart swell.  
  
When he finally opened his mouth to speak, Ronan’s words were a whisper.  
  
“I don’t want to be the reason you don’t get into an Ivy League school. Let’s get back to studying.”  
  
Adam leaned in a kissed Ronan on the forehead.  
  
“Thank you,” he whispered against his skin.  
  
Ronan closed his eyes for a moment. “Just wait until after finals. You’ll be thanking me even more.”  
  
Though the words ignited a fire in his veins, Adam ignored it and swatted Ronan with a spiral again.  



	2. Screw Studying

Monmouth Manufacturing. Base camp, as the boys had so lovingly nicknamed it for finals week, was in shambles. Blue Sargent maneuvered around stacks of books, both historical volumes and textbooks, and skewed piles of notes and flashcards. She hitched her backpack higher on her shoulder with one hand and gripped a warm pizza box, half-avocado, half-sausage, closer to her waist as she side-stepped a trashcan overflowing with crumpled paper and water bottles.   
  
For the past two weeks, Blue and her Raven Boys had been studying all over Monmouth Manufacturing. Quizzing each other. Harassing each other to study harder or re-read that chapter. All that they cared about was acing their last set of finals and graduating. Cleaning be damned.   
  
Blue dropped her backpack on the floor with a thud next to Gansey’s desk. She placed the pizza on Gansey’s paper-strewn desk next to his mint plant. She put a hand on her hip and stared at the disaster around her.   
  
Paper plates with smears of tomato sauce and hard pizza crusts sat under the pool table and coffee mugs with congealing liquids in the bottom tipped hazardously atop the pool table. A slightly rancid smell lingered in the air. God, they were going to have to clean soon. In the middle of it all was Gansey sprawled out on his bed. Khaki cargo shorts peeked out from the white sheet covering his lower half and his yellow polo shirt almost blinding in the afternoon light. His wire-rimmed glasses askew and his dark hair messy, hanging over his eyes.  
  
 Blue approached the bed. She couldn’t help but smile at the general state of disarray that Monmouth and Gansey were in. She hardly saw Gansey undone, but this was her favorite Gansey. True and real. No hint of facade left. Just Gansey.   
  
The late afternoon sunlight filtered in through the large windows, painting everything in contrast. Blue sat next to Gansey on the bed and watched the sun highlight his regal jaw line and shadow his sharp cheekbones. She pushed her fingers through his thick hair. He stirred at the touch, eyelashes flickering. He smiled sleepily.  
  
“Jane,” he said adjusting his glasses.   
  
Blue smiled, raising her eyebrows. “How’s the studying going, Dick?”   
  
Gansey grimaced. “Please.”  
  
Blue huffed and rolled her eyes.   
  
“You don’t look like you’re studying, and boy,” she said, pinching her nose, “base camp is starting to stink.”   
  
Gansey wrapped an arm around Blue’s waist, pulling her closer against him. Her hip to his chest.   
  
“I couldn’t keep my eyes open one second longer.” He fished out a calculus textbook from under the covers, holding it in the air to show Blue that he was, in fact, studying before he fell asleep and dropped it back on the bed.   
  
“And I agree, base camp is a disaster. We’ll clean after finals are over.” He motioned to her backpack on the floor by his desk. “How’s your studying going?”   
  
Blue snuggled closer to Gansey, draping an arm over his, letting his warmth seep into her.   
  
“You tell me. I believe we had a study date today.” She traced a path from his shoulder down his bicep and wrapped her hand around his elbow.   
  
Gansey smiled. A warm, sincere smile. He sat up, pulling Blue against his chest, both arms wrapped around her stomach.   
  
“I haven’t forgotten,” he whispered against her ear. Blue barely resisted the shiver coursing up her spine.   
  
It had only been a few months since they had made their relationship official and every little touch was a thunderbolt across Blue’s skin, an explosion of butterflies in her stomach, a dizzying sensation in her mind. This week though, the sensations multiplied, intensified almost to the point where they were unbearable.  
  
“Good,” she said, getting up against her will. Her lips ached to kiss Gansey just once. “I brought pizza.”   
  
Gansey gave her a knowing look. For someone that was as unobservant as Gansey, he sure did know her. He knew her control was starting to fade. Stress, Blue found, did funny things to her. As the dark circles under Gansey’s eyes grew darker, her desire for him grew stronger. Stress did things to her that made it harder to be around Gansey. All she could think about was his lips and how his skin would feel against her skin, how his hands and lips would feel exploring every inch of her body. She wondered if he shared the sentiment. As much as it pained Blue to admit it, she liked that he knew her.   
  
Blue held out her hand to Gansey.   
  
“Up and at ‘em, old chap,” Blue said in her best British accent.   
  
Gansey, laughing and shaking his head, took her hand. He picked up Blue’s bag from the floor, Blue grabbed the pizza, and both headed to the couch.   
  
“Where’s Ronan and Adam?” Blue asked pulling out a piece of avocado-topped pizza.  
  
“Where else?” Gansey asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.    
  
Adam and Ronan had finally given into their desires a month before Blue and Gansey. Initially it was great, but eventually Adam and Ronan’s public displays of affection turned grotesque and grated on everyone, even Noah. Gansey finally banished them to St. Agnes when they were too affectionate.   
  
Blue giggled. “How bad was it?”  
  
“I swear they were dry humping over their British Lit textbooks.” Gansey shook his head in disapproval. “Glendower would not approve.”  
  
Blue snickered. “Come on, Gansey. They’re young and in love. It’s only natural.”   
  
“Oh, natural all right. Natural if you’re into voyeurism,” Gansey said around a bite of pizza.  
  
“Sounds like someone is jealous,” Blue said, extending the vowels of jealous, tossing her head back and forth like a little kid, singing the K-I-S-S-I-N-G song. “Jealous of their hot love making skills.”  
  
Gansey’s cheeks flushed red. “I’m not-”   
  
“See? You’re flustered.” Blue laughed again, patting Gansey’s knee. She wondered if his jealousy stemmed from not being able to do the same thing with Blue, or if he was truly feeling left out. Adam, Ronan and Gansey had been an entity for as long as they had been together, but now it was split down the center. Blue hoped it was the former.   
  
Gansey groaned and took another bite of his pizza, rolling his eyes.   
  
Blue placed her unfinished slice of pizza back in the box and leaned toward Gansey, their eyes level, noses almost touching. She lazily trailed a finger up Gansey’s arm, air mingling between them. Blue’s heart pounded in her chest, and she knew that she was entering forbidden territory, but she honestly didn’t care.   
  
“Have you ever thought of it from a different perspective?” Blue asked, the sultriness in her voice surprising even her.  
  
“I’m listening,” Gansey said, his voice deeper than usual.  
  
“Monmouth being cleared out is a perfect opportunity for us to have some…” Blue closed the distance between them, lips almost grazing. “Alone time.”   
  
“Blue,” Gansey warned, but she could feel him smile against her cheek.   
  
“Yes, Gansey?” Blue batted her eyelashes. She should have been embarrassed by the way she was acting, but honestly, she didn’t care. The adrenaline and fatigue created a dangerous mixture that resulted in pure idiocy.   
  
Gansey closed his eyes, long, dark lashes fluttering against pale skin.   
  
“I’m going to regret this,” he muttered. “But, we have some studying to attend to.”   
  
Blue groaned and pulled back against her side of the couch. She tried to bury herself in the warm, buttery-soft leather, wishing she could disappear. What the hell was she thinking? Trying to seduce Gansey? Blue felt ridiculous. So far their physical activities had been restricted to almost kisses and curious hands over clothing.  
  
Gansey must have seen the look on her face, because he said, leaning forward to cup a hand along her jaw, “There will be plenty of time for alone time after finals.” He shot her a dazzling smile that made Blue’s heart stutter. “I promise.”   
  
He took a deep breath, blowing it out steadily.   
  
“Oh, do I promise,” he said more to himself.  
  
“Okay. Fine.” Blue pushed up from the sofa and pulled a stack of flashcards from the backpack at her feet.   
  
“Here,” she said, thrusting the cards in Gansey’s direction. “Get to studying.”   
  
Gansey chuckled and took the cards from her. “When was the war of 1892?”  
  
“That’s not on the cards!” Blue jumped up from the couch, her hands on her hips. “Are you messing with me Richard Campbell Gansey THE THIRD? Now is not a good time to mess with me?”   
  
Gansey’s political smile turned into a wicked grin that made heat pool in Blue’s lower abdomen. He knew damn well why he shouldn’t be messing with her. All the stress of the past few weeks, coupled with the last final she had tomorrow, was almost too much to bear. Her body was begging for a release. Usually it was crafts or walking the dogs or knitting under the old beech tree in her backyard, but this time, it was demanding something more. Someone. She tried to ignore it. She tried to outwit it. Calla had even taken her to kick boxing with her once. That only made it worse. Blue could never look Calla in the eye again.   
  
“Yeah? And why is that?” He narrowed his eyes.   
  
Oh, two can play this game. Blue confidently approached Gansey’s side of the couch, her lips pursed, hands perched on hips.  
  
“You know.”  
  
“I don’t think I do. Maybe you should let me in on your little secret.” Gansey looked up at her and licked his lips.   
  
Blue took a deep breath and placed her hands on the back of the couch on either side of Gansey’s head. He swiveled his body to face her, his sparkling, hazel eyes looking up into hers, his long, elegant neck just begging to be kissed.   
  
“I think you know my ‘little secret,’” Blue whispered against Gansey’s ear.  
  
She straddled his hips, her knees on either side of him. She let her skirt ride up, letting more of her thighs be exposed than she had ever before. Gansey’s hands quickly found her hips, his fingers massaging circles into her tense muscles. Slowly his fingers trailed down to the exposed skin of her legs. Each swirl of his fingers left trails of fire and ash in their wake. Blue closed her eyes, letting the fiery sensation engulf her. She tilted her head back and a small noise of pleasure escaped her throat.   
  
Gansey sucked in a breath, and his hands stilled at the hem of her skirt.   
  
“Blue,” Gansey said. “I so desperately want to kiss you right now.”  
  
The thought dangerously swirled in Blue’s consciousness like an explosive.   
  
“Gansey.” Blue touched her forehead to his, closing her eyes again. She might not have the willpower to resist otherwise. “I’ve been thinking. There are ways around the no kissing rule.”   
  
“Actually,” Gansey said, his voice soft and reflective. “I’ve been thinking about that extensively.”   
  
Blue rocked back on her hips, realizing very quickly that she was not the only one in a state of excitement. Gansey shifted under her. Blue wasn’t sure if it was to hide the hard bulge under her or display it more prominently. It only shifted her into overdrive.   
  
“You have?” Blue asked, wide-eyed. She figured he thought about it, but she also figured she would never know about it.   
  
Gansey smiled, delighted to have elicited such a reaction.   
  
“Of course I have, Blue. Why wouldn’t I?”   
  
Blue smiled and leaned toward his ear again, this time, moving her hips more deliberately. Gansey hissed.   
  
“What kind of things have you been thinking about?”  
  
Gansey chuckled like he had been waiting his entire life for this exact moment.   
  
“Can I show you?”  
  
Blue nodded, her head resting against the top of his head.   
  
Gansey’s hands, still on her thighs, began to move again. Tracing circles over her skin, moving from her hemline down to her ankles, igniting hidden nerves. Blue closed her eyes, taking in all the sensations. The heady scent of mint and old books and Gansey. The scratch of slight stubble from Gansey’s cheek where her tank top dipped down. The smooth, hot skin of his neck under her hands. The soft tickle of his hair against her cheek. Blue forgot about studying. Forgot about school. Forgot about time. Forgot about Glendower. Forgot about everything. Just Gansey remained. A soft whimper escaped her throat.   
  
Gansey just pulled her closer and ran a finger under the hem of her skirt, waiting as if asking permission.  
  
Blue nodded. His hands slipped into unfamiliar territory. Blue should have been scared or at least nervous. Instead she felt secure, safe. His hands danced over her skin in a fiery movement that ignited the blood in her veins, each second drawing his hands closer to where she had been dreaming of them.   
  
Her center tingled as he reached her underwear. He traced a finger over her. The light touch paired with the silky softness of her underwear caused Blue’s breath to hitch. She closed her eyes and reveled in the feeling. A feeling she never thought she would know at the hands of someone else. Gansey’s fingers danced over damp cloth with a fluid grace that only made Blue want more.   
  
Blue pulled back to look at Gansey. His hazel eyes, dark and blown out, stared at her with a hunger she had never seen in Gansey. She wondered if it mirrored her own.   
  
“Do you want to…?” Blue trailed off, not sure if she wanted to ask the rest of the question. Possibly scared of the answer.   
  
“Jesus, Blue,” Gansey said, his eyes flickering shut in a moment of restraint. “Of course.”   
  
Blue held her breath, waiting as Gansey’s hands maneuvered under the elastic of her underwear. Blue opened her legs, giving him more access. Gansey’s fingers slid between her slick folds and up and over her clit, making Blue smile. When he dipped a finger inside her, both sighed. The sensation itself was not new, but the experience itself was new, which made Blue rock her hips against Gansey’s palm. He responded by adding another finger, slowly swirling them around inside her. Blue’s heart pounded against her ribcage, her breathing quickened, and her fingers tangled in Gansey’s hair. Gansey glided another finger over Blue’s clit, making her shudder and groan.   
  
Blue was lost in the overwhelming pleasure until it stopped all at once. Gansey had picked Blue up and sat her down on the other side of the couch, smoothing her skirt.   
  
He handed her a bottle of tea. “Take a drink.”   
  
Blue was disoriented and frustrated. She leaned back into the couch and pulled a long drink from the bottle, wondering what the hell just happened. Gansey’s cheeks were flushed and his breathing was heavy. She noticed his bulge and wondered why he stopped.   
  
She was about to ask him, when the door to Monmouth Manufacturing rattled and a knock echoed through the living area. Gansey gave Blue a shy smile and left to answer the door. Blue sank into the couch and let the cool leather chill her feverish skin. She took another drink of tea and tried to steady her breathing.   
  
From the couch, Blue could hear a familiar voice asking for Ronan, and Gansey apologizing that Ronan was not home. He asked if he could pass along a message and to possibly try back later.   
  
“Who was that?” Blue asked when Gansey returned.   
  
“Declan,” Gansey said. “He was looking for Ronan. Ronan, of course, is not answering his phone.”   
  
Gansey moved the pizza box to the floor and inched closer to Blue. He had returned to normal. Reserved and composed Gansey.   
  
“I’m so sorry.” Gansey tucked a piece of hair behind Blue’s ear.   
  
“Sorry for what?” She was ready to fight if he apologized for touching her.   
  
Gansey’s fingers tangled in her hair. “For having to stop.” And after a beat, he asked, “Do you want to continue?”   
  
Blue relaxed, but shook her head no. The late afternoon light had shifted to dusk, painting the windows of Monmouth in oranges and pinks.   
  
“We really do need to study.”   
  
Gansey leaned forward, his lips ghosting over her ear. “I can’t wait to finish what I started.”  
  
A rush of air escaped Blue’s lips, and she roughly pushed Gansey back to his side of the couch, a smile plastered on her face.   
  
“Don’t start talking like that, or we won’t get any studying done.”  
  



	3. One More to Go

Adam clutched his backpack closer to his side, feeling the muscles in his neck and shoulders tense as he sidled through the Aglionby hallways, sidestepping guys lined against lockers, noses in textbooks, and bumping into random guys with perfectly gelled hair, pristine Aglionby blazers, and noxiously expensive cologne as they stood round in groups yelling obnoxious things.   
  
Adam felt a heat surge through him with each bump and pictured Ronan. His fiery blue eyes and sinful smirk. The way his lean, muscular arms held Adam as he came undone under him. The familiar misty smell of Cabeswater and the warm scent of Ronan. His tattoo... God, Adam wished that Ronan was at school today instead of Monmouth. Screw his last final. That janitor closet would never forget what happened in there.  
  
Adam pushed into his calculus classroom and sat next to Gansey. Richard Campbell Gansey III, the epitome of old, southern money and elegant charm, now looked more like Adam - overcome. His dark hair messy and his hazel eyes bleary and red shot behind his wire-rimmed glasses.   
  
“Adam,” Gansey said as way of greeting, a small, forced smile playing at his lips.  
   
Adam knocked knuckles with his friend and offered a smile.  
  
“You look like shit, Gansey.”   
  
“Thank you,” Gansey said, always polite even when he was evidently tired.   
  
Adam chuckled and shook his head.   
  
“Are you ready?” Adam motioned to the front of the room with his head where a stack of papers sat on the teacher’s desk.   
  
Gansey sighed and ran his thumb over his lower lip fervently. He looked exhausted, wound tight, and Adam wondered when he had slept last.  
  
“As ready, as I’ll ever be.” Gansey picked up a pencil and examined the sharp tip. “You?”  
  
“Yeah, I guess so.” Adam ran a hand over his neck, trying to rub out the tension stored there. “I just want this week over. It has been hell.”   
  
Gansey nodded in agreement.   
  
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Gansey pulled out his cell phone, swiped at it, and tossed it to Adam.   
  
“Ronan wanted to tell you something.”  
  
Adam saw a text from Ronan: _You got this, Einstein. And after… I got you._   
  
Adam’s cheeks grew hot. He quickly sent Ronan a reply - _I’m looking forward to it. See you after work._ \- and handed the phone back to Gansey.   
  
Next to Adam, Gansey chuckled softly, knowingly. “I received a similar text from Blue this morning.”   
  
Adam’s eye shot wide. “Blue?”  
  
It was Gansey’s turn to blush, his cheeks flushing pink under his glasses.  
  
“Hers was a bit more…” Gansey paused, looking for the right word. “Salacious.”   
  
“No way!” Adam’s eyes went wide. “I got to see this.”   
  
Adam stuck out his hand for the phone, but Gansey shook his head.  
   
“She will kill me,” Gansey said. “There is no doubt about it. Certain, most likely slow and painful, death awaits me if-”   
  
“Okay class,” Mr. Smith said, entering the room, throwing his bag down behind the desk, shutting off Gansey’s words. “Put everything away. Time for your last calculus test and last final at Aglionby.”   
  
Adam closed his eyes and said a silent prayer to an unknown entity.  
  



	4. What Do You Mean, a Loophole?

Blue Sargent hunched down in an uncomfortable classroom chair, her combat boots lodged into the basket of the chair in front of her. She swirled her pencil around her tiny ponytail, waiting for the tests to be distributed. Though she was ready for the trigonometry exam, the last exam of her high school experience, her mind was elsewhere.   
  
She woke this morning trembling under the ghost of a dream: Feverish skin glistening with sweat. Bodies exposed to lips and hands, not a single inch forbidden. Heaving chests and thudding hearts. Blue shuddered with pleasure just thinking about it.   
  
She had laid in bed, staring at her ceiling, imaging the long shadows cast by fabric leaves were transforming into fanciful creatures, trying to steady her heart, calm her breathing, and think about anything, but Gansey.   
  
Cabeswater - _Gansey traipsing among the trees, a look of awe and excitement on his handsome face, the shadows and streaming light highlighting the sharp angles of hi_ s jaw.   
  
Nino’s - _Gansey in the corner booth, sipping sweet tea, his lips even more enticing._   
  
Ronan - damn she was desperate - _Monmouth Manufacturing - Gansey’s bed - Gansey in bed - Blue in bed next to Gansey - holy shit, Blue realized, she was in trouble._   
  
She had immediately reached for her new cell phone and texted Gansey, and reluctantly headed for a cold shower.   
  
Blue’s cheeks burned thinking about the text she had sent and his reply: _“It would be my pleasure, Blue.”_   
  
They had only allowed hands to travel over clothes, but now, after yesterday, she wanted -  no needed - more. The no kissing thing was wearing her out and she ached to feel his skin against her skin, his lips on her body, to push the limit of the ridiculous vision about her. She wanted to ask her mom how far the no kissing rule went - _Could he kiss her, but not just on the lips? Could she kiss him, but not on the lips?_ \- but she was certain Maura would see right through her questions and predict exactly why she was asking. Blue wasn’t a psychic, but she could clearly see that going south quickly. Actually, she could see herself locked into 300 Fox Way for the next fifteen years, Maura standing guard at the door with a shotgun.   
  
Blue sat at the kitchen table pondering those exact questions. She scooped another spoonful of yogurt into her mouth, bypassing the sickly sweet blue berry goop at the bottom, when Orla sashayed into the kitchen. She gave Blue a disdainful look.   
  
“I know what you’re thinking,” Orla said, examining her fingernails, now a teal that made her brown skin glow.  
  
Blue had heard this more times than she cared to admit, and each time they always knew what she was thinking, and each time, Blue denied it.   
  
“Do not,” Blue said, rolling her eyes.   
  
Orla pulled a chair next to Blue, her long, straight hair, pulled back into a high ponytail that was much too bouncy for Blue’s liking, swaying behind her.   
  
“Listen, I was eighteen once, I know exactly what you’re feeling, and that Gansey is… whoa,” Orla said, fanning herself with a hand. “But I was never where you are. I don’t blame you for feeling so confused. It’s not like us psychics helped at all in that department.”  
  
“Got a point, Orla?” Blue shoved the last of the yogurt in her mouth and started to get up.   
  
Orla slapped a hand on Blue’s chair, pulling her back to the table and closer to Orla.   
  
“Listen, let me help you. You may not be able to kiss your true love, but it doesn’t mean he can’t kiss you.” Orla paused a moment, eyeing Blue like she was waiting for realization to sink in.   
  
“But if he kisses me, then I’m kissing him.” Blue was getting frustrated.   
  
“Blue,” Orla gave her a glance that said, “Wake up, stupid and smell the roses.”   
  
“Do I have to spell it out for you?” Orla asked. “It’s a loophole. You can’t kiss him, but he can kiss you… almost everywhere.”  
  
Blue stopped for a moment, realization sinking in and she couldn’t help but smile.   
  
“Orla?” Blue asked. “You’re not nearly as annoying as I thought you were.”   
  
Blue gave Orla a smile and backed away from the table, throwing her spoon in the kitchen sink and running out the house.   
  
“You’re welcome!” Orla screamed from behind her.   
  
Back in class, Orla’s words swam around Blue’s mind like a chant: “Almost everywhere.” Blue couldn’t wait for exams to be over and tell Gansey the news.  
  
“Blue?”   
  
Blue blinked a few times, shaking her head and coming back to reality. The student in front of her waved a stack of tests in her face.   
  
“Thanks.” Blue grabbed the stack and passed it to the girl behind her.   
  
She took a deep breath. _Focus Sargent_. This was her last test before graduation, and there would be plenty of time with Gansey later.   
  
******  
After school, Blue wanted to head straight to Monmouth and Gansey’s arms, but she thought better of it and biked home instead. If Blue was honest with herself, she wasn’t comfortable being so wanting. She prided herself on being able to stand alone, no matter what. She wondered if she would feel more like herself after all the stress of finals finally left her.   
  
Blue tossed her bike just off the porch of 300 Fox Way and trudged inside. As usual, a cacophony of sounds and movement filled the house. Blue dropped her bag by the kitchen table and poked through the fridge.  
  
“How’d the finals go?” Calla asked coming into the kitchen, her purple and black braids in an elaborate twist.   
  
“Just glad they’re over,” Blue said with a huff as she plopped down at the table, opening her yogurt.   
  
“Have you heard from any of the schools you applied to?”  
  
Blue seized up, spoon frozen mid air over the plastic container. She didn’t want to think about this topic, nevertheless talk about. If she got into her first choice, she would have to leave her family and Gansey. If she didn’t, she would be stuck in Henrietta and Gansey would leave her. This topic was off limits and the look she gave Calla told her so.   
  
Calla pursed her lips, eyes wide, holding up her hands in surrender.   
  
“Okay, okay, spunky,” Calla said backing back. “Hold your fire.”   
  
“Got any plans tonight?” Calla said with a smirk, effectively changing the subject.   
  
Blue’s ears burned. She looked down at her yogurt, swirling the spoon through the creamy concoction, avoiding the fruit on the bottom. Calla knew.   
  
Calla reached out and gave Blue’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Just be careful. You have a good head on your shoulders. Trust it.”   
  
Blue finally looked up and met Calla’s deep brown eyes and smiled.   
  
“Thanks, Calla.”   
  
Calla gave her a wink and left Blue to her thoughts. Blue wanted to shut off the onslaught of thoughts. Things were changing, starting with her relationship with Gansey.   
  
 After a quick shower, she ended up looking at every outfit in her closet. Twice. Dismissing each one. Blue’s annoyance toward herself was tripling quickly.   
  
Blue looked at the pile of clothes on her bed, a soft mountain of colorful fabrics ordained with odd trinkets, and sighed. This was not her. She sat down on the end of the bed, pulling her robe closer around her and grasping her head with her hands. She wished she could talk to her mom about this, but this wasn’t something she wanted to tell her mom. Her mom probably already knew, which explained why Maura seemed to be avoiding her.  
  
“Problem?” came a snarky voice from the hallway.   
  
Blue looked up, startled. Orla’s long, slim frame leaned against the doorway, one hand on her hip, the other snaking up the door frame, a slight smirk on her beautiful, brown face.   
  
Blue rolled her eyes. “Leave me alone. This is all your fault.”   
  
“My fault?” Orla feigned insult.   
  
“Yeah. It’s your fault for telling me about the loophole.”   
  
Orla sat down next to Blue, the clothes shifting behind them.   
  
“Blue, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. Remember, it’s your choice.”   
  
“I know,” Blue said softly. “That’s the problem. I want this.”  
  
“Then what’s the problem?” Orla folded her hands in her lap, her nails now painted a mixture of pink, orange and yellow that reminded Blue of a tropical sunset, instead of this morning’s teal.   
  
Blue jumped up. “I. DON’T. KNOW!” She screamed, pacing the room.   
  
Orla gave Blue a look part confusion, part sympathy. She stood and blocked Blue’s way.   
  
“First of all, calm down,” Orla said grabbing Blue’s shoulders, leveling her eyes with Blue’s. “Secondly, it’s perfectly normal to be nervous. You’re not used to letting people in, and this is a big step for you. Do you want this?”   
  
Blue blinked back tears. “Yeah.”   
  
“If there was no curse,” Orla used air quotes around the word ‘curse.’ “Would this matter as much?”   
  
Blue scrunched up her face thinking. She had never thought of it like that. The curse had been part of her since before she could remember. She had always wished that the curse never existed, but then she never thought about how that would really change her life. She guessed it didn’t matter what it changed because it would always be there.   
  
“No. I guess it wouldn’t matter as much.” Blue felt something unwind in her gut.   
  
“See? Not that big of a deal. Just do what you feel comfortable with. Make your boundaries clear. I’m sure Gansey will be a complete gentleman.”   
  
Orla paused for a moment, a contemplative look on her face. “And damn. Gansey is hot. Mm-mm.”   
  
Blue had to laugh, but she still threw a shirt at Orla. “Get out dummy! I have to get ready!”   
  
Orla ran from the room, and Blue slammed the door behind her. She felt better now. More relaxed and confident. Blue felt more like herself. Even though she wanted to punch Orla, she was glad she stopped by. Just one of the perks of living in a house full of psychics.   
  
In the end, Blue opted for the first thing she picked out of the closet, a flowy floral summer skirt that hit mid-thigh, a white scoop neck T-shirt, and converses she had decorated with glitter. Underneath, she settled for a plain white cotton bra and matching underwear. Blue sighed and rolled her eyes thinking about how she actually matched her underwear on purpose.   
  
She sat on the edge of her bed and took a deep breath. She couldn’t deny that she was still nervous, but she was more nervous about broaching the topic with Gansey. As far as feeling Gansey’s lips on her skin, she was excited to the point of giddiness. She actually wanted to smack herself.   
  
“I’ll be back by midnight,” Blue called to the house, darting down the stairs, hoping her mom would hear her.   
  
“Maura’s not home,” came Calla’s voice from the kitchen. “And if she was, woo, you wouldn’t be leaving this house.” Calla laughed.   
  
Blue poked her head into the kitchen. “Where is she?” Blue started to ask, but quickly changed her mind. “On second thought, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.” Maura and the Gray Man’s relationship had taken on a new dimension. One that Blue didn’t want to know about.   
  
Calla raised her eyebrows with a smirk. “Want a ride to Richie Rich’s?”   
  
“Uh, no,” Blue stuttered. “I’ll just ride my bike.”   
  
Blue groaned. Even though Calla had figured what tonight held for Blue, now she was absolutely positive thanks to her stammering.  
  
Calla snickered.   
  
Blue silently cursed being born into a family of psychics, taking back her earlier sentiment about it being a perk. Why couldn’t she have been born into a family of doctors or lawyers or even gardeners - just normal people?   
  
Blue turned and quickly escaped her personal hell, but not before hearing Calla call behind her, “Have fun!” and then cackle.   
  



	5. Headphones, Clothes Optional

After work, Adam parked the Hondayota in between Ronan’s BMW and Gansey’s Pig in the Monmouth Manufacturing parking lot. All he could think about was his hands on Ronan and Ronan’s hands on him. After a week of finals and a four hour shift at the garage, he was wound too tight, like a cobra ready to strike. 

Adam ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and gently jiggled the door, letting himself in. 

Adam gingerly stepped around Gansey’s model of Henrietta and kicked off his shoes. Gansey was lying in his bed, a single white sheet pulled up to his waist, a book about Iolo Goch resting open on his bare chest. His glasses rested crookedly on his nose and a soft snore came from his mouth. Sleep would do him good. Adam chuckled and moved the book and pulled off Gansey’s glasses, sitting them on the nightstand next to the bed. Adam pulled the sheet up to cover where the book had been and Gansey turned on his side, muttering something about dead Welsh kings. 

Adam quietly made his way to Ronan’s room. He knocked softly. 

“About time, Parrish,” Ronan said, opening the door, wearing only headphones. 

Adam took a deep breath taking in Ronan’s body. This was what he had been wanting all week. He pushed himself against his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around Ronan’s torso, and closed the door behind them. 

“Hi,” Adam said breathlessly. 

Ronan smirked. The smirk did wicked things to Adam, igniting the smoldering ash in his stomach to a liquid flame. 

“Hi. How did it go Einstein?” Ronan encircled his arms around Adam, pulling him closer. Adam could feel the hard lines and planes of Ronan’s body against his, and he decided there was still too much fabric between them. 

“Good,” Adam said, pulling his Aglionby sweater and shirt off in one fluid movement. His hands fumbled at his pant’s waistband until they slid to his ankles. 

“Someone’s an eager Ronan-fucker.” Ronan’s smirk spread into a full smile, headphones now gone, and Adam melted. 

“You’re the one answering the door naked,” He breathed out. 

“I just figured it would be easier. Am I wrong?” Ronan’s hands traced circles over Adam’s spine and shoulders and gently played at the band of his boxers. 

Adam closed the small distance between their faces, noses and foreheads touching, warm breathes mingling. “No. You’re definitely not wrong.”

Adam’s heart pounded against his sternum, his chest heaved. A fire flooded his veins, turning him into nothing but an explosion of rushing blood and sucked-in air, ignited by kerosene. He licked his lips and Ronan’s molten blue eyes flickered downward. 

“You’re so fucking hot, Adam.” 

“I know,” Adam said, crushing his lips against Ronan’s. 

Time stopped. The weeks of studying and working washed away with every kiss and caress. Adam let himself go. Gave into every whim and temptation, the dizzying sensation of Ronan. Adam couldn’t tell where he ended and Ronan started anymore. They were one. The slick slide of lips and tongues. The feverish tracing of hands along skin, through hair, and over flexing muscles. Adam could only feel skin against skin. He unsuccessfully tried to remember when his boxers had been removed. Nothing else existed, just this moment.

Adam hissed when Ronan bit his lower lip, a slight coppery taste filling his mouth. Ronan answered with a low moan, pulling Adam’s legs up off the floor and around his waist, their erections pressing together painfully and enticingly. Ronan walked Adam back to the bed, laying him down. Adam let all his inhibitions go. He didn’t care if Ronan saw him completely naked in the early evening light. He didn’t care if he made noises and woke up Gansey. He would do whatever Ronan wanted. Whatever he wanted. He was gone. Completely undone. 

Ronan’s body caged Adam in against the cool sheets of his bed. Ronan’s lips traced across Adam’s jaw line, tugged at his earlobe, and down his neck. Adam growled when Ronan bit and sucked at his collarbone.

“Damn, Adam,” Ronan laughed. “What has gotten into you?” 

Adam didn’t respond. He flipped Ronan over, straddling his hips with his knees. Adam could see his want and desire mirrored in Ronan’s face. He could see himself in Ronan’s flushed cheeks and swollen, pink lips, the pulsing at the base of his neck. Adam rocked his hips against Ronan’s. Ronan closed his eyes and lifted his chin backwards, exposing his long neck. Adam rolled against Ronan’s hard erection again, heat pleasantly pooling in his lower abdomen, leaning forward to rake his teeth down Ronan’s neck. 

Adam nibbled at Ronan’s ear, then whispered, “I want to fuck you.” 

Ronan’s only response was a deep, throaty growl. He pulled Adam down and kissed him deeply. Tongues warring for dominance. Teeth biting and not caring if blood welled up or if a mark was left. Breathing hot and hard, chests heaving. Adam felt like another creature. 

Ronan’s lips never left Adam’s as he reached inside the drawer of his nightstand to pull out lube and condoms. Adam’s hands trailed down Ronan’s abdomen and slid over both of their dicks, gathering them in the circle of Adam’s hands. Ronan reached between them, pouring lube on both of their cocks. They both moaned at the slippery glide of Adam’s hands over their throbbing erections. 

“Turn over,” Adam ordered Ronan. 

Ronan turned over, leaning on his knees, his head turned to the side on the pillow. Adam slid his dick over Ronan’s opening, teasing, eliciting a small whine from Ronan that made Adam smile. Ronan arched his back toward Adam, and Adam ran his hand over the intricately designed tattoo, tracing every line with slick fingers. He had once spent hours tracing the tattoo with his fingers and then lips until Ronan’s breathing quickened and they spent the rest of the night tangled in sheets under St. Agnes’ roof. It was Ronan’s guilty pleasure. 

Adam poured more lube over Ronan and then slid a finger inside him, waiting until Ronan adjusted and started to move against it, before adding another, moving in and out and in circles. Ronan’s breathing mirrored Adam’s: quick and shallow. 

“You ready?” Adam asked, just barely over a whisper. 

Ronan nodded his head against the pillow. “Fuck yes.” 

Adam slid the condom over his erection. He slicked a bit more lube over the condom and lined the head of his cock up with Ronan’s opening, sliding it up and down and around. Ronan writhed under him, pleading for Adam to just fuck him already. Adam pushed in, slowly, inch by inch, letting the sensation over take him, stopping each time until Ronan’s tension eased. Adam relished in the feeling of being inside Ronan, so close, so tight. He sucked in a gust of air when Ronan pushed back against Adam, contracting himself around the full length of Adam’s hard erection, giving him permission to thrust.

“Ronan,” Adam moaned. His hands found purchase on Ronan’s leanly muscled shoulders, peppering kisses along his neck and back as he thrust in and out slowly. He pulled Ronan back, so they were both on their knees. Adam’s hands traced up Ronan’s abdomen and chest, taking a moment to pinch his nipples as he bit his neck. Ronan groaned and a string of curses wound from his mouth like obscure poetry. Adam’s thrusts quickened. Ronan’s hands grabbed Adam’s ass, pulling him closer. Adam’s hands wound tightly around Ronan’s dick, moving up and down. Moaning filled the room. Adam didn’t care who heard it. 

“I’m about to-” Ronan’s words cut off with strangled cry. He came in Adam’s fist. Adam thrust harder and faster, teetering right on the edge of release. 

When the release came, it was a rush of hot and cold over him, a delicious feeling that pulled him into the ether. A loud moan escaped from his throat. 

Ronan and Adam both collapsed to the bed, flushed skin slick and hot, breathing shallow and quick, hearts beating in double time. A tangle of limbs. No other sound, except their breath. 

Adam intertwined his fingers with Ronan’s. “Damn.” 

Ronan, one arm across his stomach and eyes closed, smiled contently. “Exactly. Are you better now?” 

Adam smiled. “Much. You cannot even understand how much better I am now.” 

“What do you expect?” Ronan chuckled. 

Adam placed a finger on Ronan’s lips, shushing him. He cocked his head to the side at a noise he wasn’t sure was real. “Did you hear that?” 

Somewhere in Monmouth Manufacturing a strangled noise of either pain or ecstasy echoed out. 

Ronan’s eyes widened. “I sure did.” 

“Do you think?” Adam motioned to the door.

Ronan grinned mischievously, his eyebrows shooting up. “Do I think that Gansey is finally taking care of his blue - Ha. Get it? Blue? - balls situation?”

Adam chuckled.

“Yes. Yes I do.” Ronan shot out of bed and cracked the door, peeking out into the living area. 

Ronan laughed and looked back at Adam, still splayed out on the bed. “Well, if Gansey ends up dead tonight, we know why.”

Adam rolled out of bed, deliciously sore, and plodded to the door, peeking under Ronan’s arm. On the bed was a pair of gorgeous legs propped up at an angle and a partially naked Gansey on his knees before them. 

Adam, wide-eyed, mouthed, “Oh my god,” to Ronan. 

Ronan silently shut the door. “We may be stuck in here for a while.” 

Adam pulled Ronan against him. “I don’t mind.” Adam smirked sinfully, trying to mimic Ronan’s expression. “We have plenty to keep us busy.” 

“You better believe it.” Ronan dipped his lips to Adam’s, walking him back to the bed.


	6. Sweet Relief

The short ride to Monmouth Manufacturing allowed Blue to clear her head and gather her thoughts, preparing what she wanted to say to Gansey. Blue unceremoniously dropped her bike with a clatter at the door of Monmouth. The Pig, the Hondayota, and the BMW formed a line of cars in the parking lot. Blue didn’t care if Adam and Ronan were here, she would happily kick them out if she needed to.  
  
Blue opened the door to the living area of Monmouth. A jumbled mess of books and papers still covered the floor and every free space, but a slight woodsy scent hung in the air. Gansey must have taken her advice about the stench and bought some air freshener.  
  
Blue scanned her surroundings. No Adam or Ronan, but she could hear muffled sounds coming from Ronan’s room and Adam’s shoes piled haphazardly by the couch. They weren’t coming out of that room for anything. Noah was nowhere to be seen. Gansey sprawled across his bed, clutching a pillow, a thin white sheet covering his bare chest. The sight drew Blue to it like a magnet. She slipped off her shoes and crawled next to Gansey, laying her head on his shoulder. He stirred and muttered words she couldn’t make out. Probably something about dead Welsh kings.  
  
Blue had the urge to kiss Gansey awake. Instead she ran a hand through his hair, letting her fingers tangle in the thick waves. She nuzzled her face against his neck, her nose tracing down to his collarbone.  
  
Slowly, Gansey started to wake, his arm wrapping around her and pulling her close against his side. She could feel him smile against her hair. The smell of sleep and mint and Gansey woke her senses and a tingle shot through her veins to her stomach.  
  
“How’d you sleep?” Blue whispered against Gansey’s chest.  
  
Gansey’s smile grew. “Wonderful,” he said, his voice deeper from sleep. “I dreamt of Glendower.”  
  
The vibrations against Blue’s chest did wonderful things within her.  
  
“Are you hungry, Jane?” Gansey turned to his side, pulling Blue flush against his chest. His arms wrapping more firmly around Blue, his hands splayed across her spine, making her feel safe.  
  
“I had a yogurt. Are you hungry?”  
  
Blue was starting to despise small talk.  
  
“Not sure yet.” Gansey squeezed her and let her go, rolling out of bed. “Please excuse me for a moment.”  
  
Blue watched Gansey head to the bathroom, stopping only to pluck a mint leaf from his plant. The lean muscles in his back and arms rippled as he stretched his arms to the ceiling, his pale blue and white plaid pajama pants sliding lower on his narrow hips, exposing a swath of paler blue boxers and the letters, “CK.”  
  
When the door closed, Blue leaned back on the bed, blowing out a gust of air. Staring at the impossibly high ceiling above her, she contemplated how she could tell Gansey about the loophole. At the back of her mind, she wondered if Gansey would choose not to tempt fate and dismiss her.  
  
“So food,” Gansey said making his way back to the bed a few minutes later.  
  
Blue propped herself up on her elbows, her knees askew in front of her, the skirt riding up, exposing more of her thigh. Gansey froze. His hazel eyes, more green than brown in the dim light, shone with something she had never seen in him before. His gaze rested heavily on Blue, as if studying every inch of her. Blue felt oddly exposed and empowered at the same time. The gaze didn’t make her squirm, it made her want to reach out to Gansey.  
  
“Blue,” Gansey finally said. “I like how you look in my bed.”  
  
It was a ridiculous thing to say, but Blue liked it. The words caressed her like a kiss, making her skin flush. Blue smiled, and Gansey closed the distance between them, crawling onto the bed.  
  
“So, food,” she repeated.  
  
Gansey rested on his knees over Blue, his gaze still hungry. His lips barely brushed against her ear.  
  
“Food can wait.”  
  
Blue closed her eyes and exhaled a shaky breath.  
  
Gansey’s fingers curled in the short waves of her hair. “You are so beautiful Blue."  
  
“Gansey, we need to talk.”  
  
Immediately Gansey sat up, concern painting his features. “What is it Blue?”  
  
“Um. Uh. Well,” Blue sputtered.  
  
Gansey took her hand. “Whatever it is Blue, you can tell me.”  
  
Blue sat up, criss-crossing her legs like she used to in kindergarten. She took a deep breath and nodded.  
  
“Orla talked to me today,” Blue started.  
  
Gansey gave her a reassuring look telling her to continue.  
  
“About us.”  
  
Gansey’s eyes narrowed and his head cocked to the side like a confused puppy.  
  
“She told me there’s a loophole to the kiss curse.”  
  
Gansey’s confused look transformed to a mask void of emotion, careful to not let his feelings show. Gansey usually hid his emotions, but even more so when it came to anything regarding their relationship. It used to bother Blue. She wanted Gansey to let his emotions fly. Let it all come tumbling out. Gansey never changed and he never would, but lately Blue had grown accustomed to it, knowing he was just waiting to let his feelings known at the right time.  
  
“What kind of loophole?” He asked.  
  
“Orla said that you can kiss me, I just can’t kiss you.”  
  
“What does that even mean?”  
  
Blue looked down at her and Gansey’s intertwined hands in her lap.  
  
“That’s the loophole. I can’t kiss you, so you can’t kiss my lips, but you can kiss me… anywhere else.”  
  
Silence.  
  
Contemplation.  
  
Understanding.  
  
“Oh,” Gansey said, his voice even, not betraying his thoughts. “Is that what you want?”  
  
Blue shrugged. “Is that what you want?”  
  
She peeked up at Gansey. His cheeks were flushed and a slight smile played at his lips.  
  
The wall crashed down and Gansey’s voice was now thick with emotion. “Of course, Blue.”  
  
Gansey tilted Blue’s chin up with a single finger, making her eyes meet his.  
  
“You couldn’t possibly imagine how many times I dreamed of lavishing your body with kisses. How many times I wondered what your skin tasted like. And, oh Christ, Blue, the thoughts I’ve had about how many different ways I could make you call out my name in ecstasy. Do I want this? Of course I do.”  
  
Relief flooded her, anticipation quickly replacing it. Blue’s heart stuttered in her chest. Breathing now the hardest thing in the world. She got to her knees and hugged Gansey, burying her face against his neck, trying to steady her breathing. His arms engulfed her.  
  
“Is that what you want, Blue?” Gansey asked softly as he smoothed her hair behind her ear.  
  
Blue nodded.  
  
She leaned back to look at Gansey, tipping her forehead against his. “Yes. I want this.”  
  
Gansey smiled. “Like I said earlier, it would be my pleasure, Blue.”  
  
Gansey leaned around Blue and pulled his pillows into a pile. With one hand on the back of her head and another against the small of her back, Gansey leaned Blue back against the pillows. He towered over her, his eyes soft and warm. Blue clutched Gansey’s palm and pulled him down over her.  
  
They quickly became a tangle of limbs, just breathing and hands exploring over clothes. Something comfortable to both of them. Gansey’s fingers traced across Blue’s skin, across her collarbone, up her neck, over her arms and shoulders, feather light, as if his finger tips were an extension of his lips. He traced the outline of her lips with his thumb. Blue resisted the urge to kiss his finger tips. Gansey’s eyes never left hers. Blue worried she might explode from the intensity of it all. When Gansey’s lips replaced his fingers on her neck, Blue’s breath caught in her throat.  
  
“Okay?” Gansey mumbled against Blue’s skin.  
  
“Mmhmmm,” Blue responded. She didn’t trust herself to make coherent words, she was far too gone, reveling in the sensation of Gansey’s lips.  
  
Gansey peppered tender caresses across her jaw line and down her neck with his lips, each kiss more intense than the previous one. Each press of his lips and dart of his tongue told Blue a story of his love for her. How much he craved her. How delighted he was to have her in his life. Each kiss warm and warmer until Gansey’s lips threatened to set Blue on fire.  
  
Blue had worried about what to do with her hands, her body, her legs when Gansey began to kiss her. Would she lay there awkwardly? Or would she have to force herself to lay still, wanting more than what she could have? She chastised herself for even worrying now as her hands found purchase along Gansey’s bare shoulders, digging into lean muscles, her legs wrapping around his narrow waist, their centers pressed together in a mind-numbing rhythm.  
  
“Clothes,” Blue muttered as Gansey mouthed at her collarbone, leaving little marks.  
  
Gansey’s hands trailed down Blue’s shoulders, over her breasts, and to the hem of her T-shirt. He waited until Blue sat up, raising her arms. Gansey pulled off her shirt in a fluid motion. Blue heard it land with a soft swoosh somewhere by the couch. She wiggled out of her skirt as Gansey stood on the bed, trying, unsuccessfully to pull off his pajama bottoms.  
  
Blue rested against the pillows again, watching Gansey undress, giggling at the spectacle before her. Gansey teetered on the mattress, one foot at a time, trying to remove his legs from his pants. All at once he looked every bit the awkward eighteen year old he was, no longer the old soul.  
  
“Not as graceful as I thought,” Blue teased.  
  
“You could always help,” he said with a chuckle, pulling the last pant leg off, balling up the material and tossing it across the room.  
  
Gansey stood over her, hands on his hips, visibly frayed by the pajama pant debacle, but still chuckling. Once Blue had compared Gansey to someone that never died, but was bronzed and displayed in a library or public square. She never knew how right she was until this moment. Gansey’s body was a work of art. Blue admired the rigid lines of taut muscles wrapped around bone, the gentle slope of his chest, the trail of dark hair leading below his boxers. Blue wanted to memorize every inch of his body, every line, imperfection, and stray freckle.  
  
As Blue studied Gansey’s body, he studied hers. Blue sucked in a deep breath when she saw the fire in his eyes.  
  
“So beautiful,” he murmured crawling over her again, trailing kisses across her shoulders and down over the swell of her chest. Blue traced her fingers over Gansey’s back, each movement mimicking Gansey’s lips on her skin. She wanted to kiss him badly, but she wanted him to live even more.  
  
Gansey’s lips trailed down to her stomach, his tongue dipping into her navel, and Blue gasped.  
  
Gansey laughed. “I believe I have discovered the best sound yet.”  
  
Gansey glanced up at Blue and smiled. Blue returned the smile, tangling her fingers in his hair. Very soon Blue would be completely undone under Gansey.  
  
Blue savored every kiss, how Gansey’s lips alternated between soft and tender to hard and wanting. She gasped each time Gansey nipped at her collarbone and teased at the small exposed portion of her hip bones. Gansey sketched a map of her body with his lips, teeth, and tongue, all igniting Blue’s skin.  
  
Gansey’s lips trailed back up, his teeth stopping to nip at the crook of Blue’s neck, before he found her ear, kissing her softly right below her earlobe.  
  
“Turn over,” he whispered.  
  
Blue happily complied. She closed her eyes and let the sensations, once again, overtake her. Gansey’s lips kissed every square inch of her back, his hands traced each line, as if sketching in his journal, massaging tense muscles with strong hands. Blue’s body became putty beneath him.  
  
“May I?” Gansey asked, his hand at the clasp of her bra.  
  
Blue snickered at the formality of Gansey even in the most intimate moments. “Yes, you may.”    
  
With a flick of his wrist, the bra came undone and Blue wiggled out of it, tossing it off the bed. Gansey kissed where the bra straps had been and then turned Blue over. He sucked in a breath. His eyes were dark and blown out. Blue’s gaze traveled downward. It was evident Gansey was enjoying himself as much as she was.  
  
Blue sat up, pressing herself against Gansey in a hug. Gansey’s hands immediately found her waist. His rough calluses traced over her soft skin. His hands grazed against the side of her breasts, sending shock waves through Blue. One word revolved through Blue’s mind on repeat: _SKIN_. She almost got lost in the warmth and closeness of the feeling and intimacy of it all.  
  
Gansey placed an open mouth kissed on Blue’s neck, his tongue swirling along her skin, his teeth biting harder, but still not hurting. Confidence surged through Blue.  
  
She twisted Gansey around and pushed him back against the pillows. Gansey’s mouth parted in surprise, but his chest heaved in excitement.  
  
Blue straddled his hips, letting her center settle right over Gansey’s erection. Soft sounds of pleasure escaped both of their lips. She traced her fingers over Gansey’s torso, lingering on lean muscle and soft trails of hair, and every so often, Blue rocked her hips, eliciting a rapturous sound from Gansey. His hands found Blue’s skin again and again, this time eagerly reaching for her breasts. Gansey cupped her gently, his hands lightly sliding over skin, massaging softly. The sensation amazed Blue. She wondered how a simple touch could make her feel this way. When Gansey rolled her nipples between his thumbs and index fingers, Blue moaned, her nipples responding quickly. Electricity shot from her chest straight to her core, and she rocked her hips against Gansey’s, quicker, harder and deeper. Gansey responded by hitching his hips up into Blue’s movements.  
  
“Blue,” Gansey gasped. “We have to stop, or I’m going to come.”  
  
Blue stilled her hips, the tightness in her core making it hard to stop. She reluctantly slid off Gansey and knelt beside him. She watched Gansey close his eyes and take deep, steadying breaths.  
  
“These need to go,” she said plucking the elastic of Gansey’s boxers. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Blue made a mental note to make fun of the pink whales printed on Gansey’s underwear later.  
  
“Why do my underwear need to go,” Gansey smirked, his grin mischievous. Yet another facet of Gansey she had never seen before. “When you’re still wearing yours?”  
  
Blue scoffed. “Oh, so you want me to take off my underwear? Is that what you want?”  
  
A low, rough growl escaped Gansey’s throat. Blue licked her lips, her need growing exponentially greater.  
  
“I can’t do what I want with you in those panties, Miss Sargent. Please take them off. I promise it will be worth your effort.”  
  
Gansey’s sinful smirk paired with a playful wink set Blue on fire. She quickly realized sex wasn’t awkward or quiet or procedural. It was a never ending surprise. A game played between two lovers full of mirth and playfulness and intensity.  
  
“You make a very intriguing offer, Mr. Gansey.” Blue’s eyebrow arched. “I’m sure you’ll live up to your part of the bargain.”  
  
Gansey, arm slung lazily behind his head, watched Blue stand above him, her hands propped on her waist, slowly sliding her hips side to side, teasing. She wasn’t sure where this surge of confidence came from, but she loved it. Slowly, Gansey climbed to his knees, unable to keep his hands off her. He slid his hands up her legs, stopping at her hips.  
  
Gansey kissed the soft dip in her stomach. “Allow me.”  
  
His thumbs slid down her hipbones, to her underwear. He slowly pulled the fabric down to Blue’s ankles, where she stepped out of them as he steadied her.  
  
Blue watched Gansey. How his breath hitched in a gasp and his hazel eyes burned. The pulse at the base of his throat raced.  
  
“Blue,” Gansey breathed.  
  
Blue interlaced her hands behind Gansey’s neck. His lips found her collarbone, this time the kisses more powerful and wanting. Each one conveying his love and desire. He trailed down her body, stopping to lightly kiss across the soft slope of her breasts, licking and sucking each nipple, eliciting small sounds of pleasure from Blue that she had no control over.  
  
Blue relished in the pleasure that Gansey’s hands and lips and skin unleashed on her. Blue’s legs began to shake when Gansey’s lips found her hipbones, wild anticipation causing her heart to slam against her ribcage.  
  
_Lower._  
  
_Kiss._  
  
_Lower._  
  
_Kiss._  
  
_Lower._  
  
_Kiss._  
  
All at once, Blue melted. She thrust her hands into Gansey’s hair, pulling just to stand upright as Gansey’s tongue flicked against her core. Everything faded away. Only her and Gansey, bound by this feeling, remained.  
  
She didn’t know when Gansey had picked her up and laid her against the pillows again. She didn’t know when Gansey propped her knees at an angle giving him complete access to her. She didn’t know that the moans and whimpers filling Monmouth Manufacturing were coming from her. She didn’t hear Ronan’s door open, followed by quiet comments and snickering. All she knew was Gansey kneeling before her, lavishing her body with a magnitude of pleasure that she had never known before. Light kisses along the inside of her thighs. Deep, sucking kisses over her clit alternating with a tongue darting inside her, causing her to rock her hips in symphony with Gansey’s mouth. Her hands tugging Gansey’s hair. Gansey’s moans over her and the resulting vibrations. Blue became lost in a symphony of Gansey’s fingers and tongue dancing, sliding, swirling, plunging. Blue let the feelings wash over her. Each movement taking her higher and making her lighter, until she was vaguely aware of her head tilting back into the pillows and a wild sound that couldn’t belong to her escaped her lips.  
  
Blue felt like a feather floating in the wind. Light and free. Her heart pounded mercilessly against her chest. A smile spread across her face. A sheen of sweat covered her body. She gulped in air, and when her eyes opened she saw the most delicious sight - Gansey kneeling before her, staring at her like he wanted to devour her over and over again. His eyes wild. His hair mused by her own fingers. His lips red and swollen. His skin flushed. She wanted, no needed, more.  
  
Blue extended a hand to Gansey. “Come here,” she said, her voice spent.    
  
Gansey placed his palm in hers and let her pull him against her body. Legs tangling. Arms intertwining. Hearts racing in unison.  
  
“Blue,” Gansey whispered, his voice shaky, his eyes meeting hers. “I am so lucky to have you in my life. Not only are you unbelievably gorgeous, but you’re unbelievably smart and funny and brave. You’re fierce,” and after a slight pause, “And I am fiercely in love with you.”  
  
Blue couldn’t help it, she turned to putty at that exact moment. She cupped Gansey’s cheek.  
  
“Gansey, I love you too. More than you could ever imagine.” Tears threatened to spill over Blue’s cheeks, but she didn’t care.  
  
He kissed her cheek and buried his head at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Blue’s grip tightened around him, holding him closer, never close enough though, feeling his heart thunder against her own.  
  
Gansey tilted his forehead against Blue’s, noses brushing, eyelashes fluttering, breathes intermingling. It was as close to a shared kiss as they would get.  
  
“Do you have protection?” Blue asked.  
  
Gansey looked at her, eyes wide yet soft. “I do, but we don’t have to-”  
  
“Go get it. We’re not finished yet. Unless you are…”  
  
Gansey immediately rolled out of bed and hurried to the bathroom. Blue closed her eyes, steadying her breathing and relishing in the pleasure coursing through her body. Her skin burning. Her blood singing in her veins. Her center pleasantly tingling and damp. Every muscle burning, expectant, wanting.  
  
Gansey returned with a condom. He placed the silver package under the pillow and curled around Blue.  
  
“How are you feeling?” Gansey smoothed a few stray hairs out of her eyes and kissed her cheek.  
  
Blue still had a smile plastered on her face. “Great. That was…” Blue let out of a gust of air.  
  
Gansey smiled and nuzzled closer. “I want to do it again.”  
  
“Really?” Blue asked, shooting Gansey a look of disbelief.  
  
Gansey grinned and closed his eyes as if letting the last few minutes replay in his mind. “Oh yes. Are you up for it?”  
  
“Don’t have to ask me twice.” Blue smirked. “But first, your boxers have to go.”  
  
Gansey crawled out of the bed and yanked his boxers off. Blue’s eyes raked up and down his completely naked frame. Blue’s eyes grew wide at the site before her. She bit her bottom lip, trying to hold on to what little self-control she had left.  
  
“Damn.” Blue said under her breath, then blowing out a gust of air.  
  
Gansey’s wicked grin said everything Blue needed to know.  
  
“Don’t say a word,” she quickly retorted. “You’ll ruin the mood.”  
  
She sat up, a sudden and intense need to touch him flooding her. She hung her legs off the side of the bed and Gansey nestled himself between them, his hands massaging her shoulders. She let her hands roam freely, over his chest and stomach, reaching around to his back, then down to his hips and squeezing his muscular butt.  
  
“I wish I could kiss you, Gansey.” Blue looked up into Gansey’s eyes.  
  
“You just being close to me is enough, Blue.”  
  
Blue grinned, a warmth blooming in her chest. She rounded her hands to Gansey’s penis, trailing a single finger down its length. Gansey hissed through his clenched teeth.  
  
“Jesus Christ, Blue.”  
  
Blue, warm and content, glanced up at her boyfriend, batting her lashes and smirking.  
  
“You like that, huh?”  
  
She trailed her finger over the tip, stopping to rub tiny circles over the head, and down the underside of Gansey’s cock. His head fell back. Blue watched his Adam’s apple bob as he roughly swallowed a groan. Blue wrapped  her hands around Gansey’s erection, and sighed at the feeling of smooth skin, raised veins, and a slight throbbing sensation. A shock raced down her spine straight through to her core. Blue relished in the feelings. Her own arousal growing in response to Gansey’s. Her hands, tightly wound around Gansey’s cock, rocked back and forth, up and down, each push quicker than the one before. Gansey’s fingers dug into her shoulders. She glanced up at him. He was watching her. Blue registered his dark eyes and slightly parted, red lips. She lingered on the flushed skin blooming across his chest and up to his face and the heaving of his chest. Everything about Gansey screamed wanton desire, but Blue could still see how he was trying to desperately stay in complete control.  
  
“Blue,” he whispered, very slowly placing his hands around her own over his cock.  
  
She dropped her arms to her side. “Do you want me to stop?” Blue wondered at the back of her mind if she was doing something wrong.  
  
“Oh god, no, but I _need_ you to stop.”  
  
Gansey crouched to his knees, his face level with Blue’s. He cupped her cheek in one hand and wrapped the other around her waist.  
  
“I definitely do not want you to stop. You’re…” Gansey’s eyelashes fluttered against his ruddy cheeks and he took a deep breath, letting it go in a rush. “Exquisite.”  
  
 He kissed her jaw, trailing his tongue down her neck to her collarbone. Blue shivered under the feather light touches. She circled her arms around Gansey’s back.  
  
“I told you,” Gansey punctuated each word with a kiss. “I want to do it again, Blue.”  
  
Blue dug her fingers into Gansey’s shoulder blades. The words winding tight in her abdomen and heat spreading from her chest to the rest of her body.  
  
“Can I?” Gansey pulled back, looking Blue in the eyes, waiting patiently for permission.  
  
Blue nodded, and Gansey slid down her body, pulling her flush against the edge of the bed.  
  
The first time Gansey went down on her, it was a blur of hands and lips and tongue. All Blue understood was the pleasure. This time Blue was more coherent, more alert, and more aware of what Gansey was doing to her body. Each lingering touch of his hands around her hips, pulling her against his full lips. Each gentle kiss pressed at soft spots. Each flick of his tongue at more sensitive spots. Each touch more devastating than the one before. Blue felt like she was in a hurricane riding out the storm.  
  
Blue watched Gansey’s head bob between her legs. His tongue slid up her center and his lips closed over her clit, making her rock her hips. He licked her inner and outer lips, sucking softly on them until Blue closed her eyes, unable to stay focused any longer, and whine. His tongue dipped inside of her and she cried out his name, tugging his hair.  
  
Gansey moaned, the vibrations making Blue buck her hips more wildly.  
  
“Blue?”  
  
Below her, Gansey looked up, a sinful smile spreading across his lips.  
  
“You’re delicious.”  
  
Gansey’s husky words ignited a fire in her core that only burned brighter when Gansey’s mouth returned to her. He continued watching Blue as he slid two fingers inside her, rocking his palm back and forth, and placing an open mouthed kiss on her clit, sucking ever so slightly. She couldn’t help the moan that escaped her lips. The sensation overwhelmed her. She wanted more. She quickly realized she wanted him.  
  
Blue hesitantly slid her hips back on the bed, leaving Gansey open mouthed before her.  
  
“Gansey,” Blue said trying not to giggle at the dumbfounded look on Gansey’s face.  
  
“Did I do something wrong?”  
  
“No! No, no, no, no, no! Not at all.” Blue gripped his shoulders and ran her fingers up through his hair, letting them tangle in his messy locks. She rubbed her cheek against his.  
  
“Then why did you stop me?” Hurt and confusion colored his voice.  
  
Blue let her lips flutter over his ear. “Because I want you,” she murmured. “Inside me.”  
  
Gansey quickly pulled back. “Are you sure?” he asked.  
  
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my entire life.”  
  
Blue scooted back on the bed, pulling Gansey with her.  
  
“Lay down,” Blue instructed. Gansey obeyed.  
  
Blue slid a hand up and down Gansey’s erection, her thumb rubbing over his head, already slick. She reached for the condom with the other hand, gently opening the package and then rolling it down Gansey’s dick. She straddled him, letting her pussy rub up against his cock. They both moaned at the sensation.  
  
“That has to be the most wonderful sensation I have ever felt,” Gansey said, lacing his hands with Blue’s.  
  
Blue leaned down, her nose touching his, giving another roll of her hips.  
  
“I bet I can change your mind.”  
  
“How so?”  
  
“Like this.”  
  
Blue hoisted her hips and gradually slid down over Gansey’s cock. Each inch deliciously burning until Blue’s hips pressed flush against Gansey’s. Blue sat still, letting her body adjust to Gansey’s size.  
  
“Oh god, Blue.”  
  
Everything about Gansey told Blue that he was using everything in his power to stay still and remain in control. Blue wanted to see him come undone. To catch fire. To burn bright for her.  
  
Blue slid her hips up until Gansey’s dick was almost all the way exposed and she slowly pushed back down again, eliciting a small hiss from Gansey. Blue leaned forward to whisper in Gansey’s ear.  
  
“Let go, Gansey.”  
  
And like that, Gansey let go. His eyes shot open and he growled, animalistic and rugged. The sound shot through Blue like a raging fire that burned brighter when Gansey’s lips attacked her neck. He rolled her over. His lips and hands forceful on her body, worshiping her breasts. His hips thrusting wildly, causing a new sensation to flood her veins. A burning pleasure that Blue melted into, causing her to moan and whimper, calling out Gansey’s name and curse words that usually never crossed her lips. She was as wild and undone as Gansey. Gansey whispered naughty sentiments against her skin that made Blue slicker.  She scratched her nails down Gansey’s back in response. Each rock of hips and bite of teeth and trail of tongue and twist of sensitive spots took them higher, all decency and repose left behind. Blue wrapped her legs around Gansey’s waist, allowing him to thrust deeper and faster.  
  
“Shit, Blue you’re so tight,” Gansey moaned.  
  
“Fuck me harder,” Blue responded with a whimper.  
  
Gansey obeyed and in a moment everything went white hot behind her eyelids. Her body spasming around Gansey. A scream of pleasure pulled from her mouth. Gansey quickly followed, giving into the sweet release, his body stilling at the moment of climax, a shout on his lips.  
  
They both collapsed to the bed in a tangle of sweaty limbs and heaving chests. Gansey gently slid out of Blue and disposed of the condom in the trashcan by the bed. When he returned, Blue nestled her head against his chest, feeling more than hearing the rapid thud of his heart. It matched her own. Gansey wrapped an arm around her, still breathless and pressed a kiss to her forehead.  
  
Blue started to open her mouth to say something, but she realized there were no words for a moment like this. The silence held everything they wanted to say and didn’t need to say. Blue gazed up at Gansey. His eyes were closed, a small, pleasant smile on his lips. She pushed a stray hair out of his eyes. His smile grew and he lovingly rubbed her arm.  
  
“Wanna go get some pizza?” Gansey asked, eyes still closed, voice drowsy.  
  
“I’m famished.” Blue grinned and jumped out of bed to get dressed. “Gansey, where’s my underwear?”  
  
Gansey chuckled and sat up slowly, a dreamy look on his face. “I’m not sure, but I think underwear is optional for pizza.”  
  
Blue threw a pillow at him. Gansey caught the pillow with an oomph.  
  
“Sexy time is over Gansey. I want food. Now get up and help me find my clothes!”  



	7. Dicking Around

Nino’s jostled with people. Waitresses carrying trays balanced on hands above their heads. Groups of friends laughing and talking loudly. Couples stealing kisses and sharing secret stares. Loud 80s rock blared from the overhead speakers. Over the music, if he listened just enough out of his right ear, Adam could hear the crack of pool balls colliding. The pungent scent of garlic, tomatoes, and oregano assaulted his nostrils.  
  
“Damn, who the fuck thought this music was a good idea?” Ronan groaned beside Adam.  
  
Adam rolled his eyes and arched an eyebrow. “It’s not like your taste in music is any better.”  
  
“Shut up, Parrish,” Ronan grumbled.  
  
“Do you see them?” Adam asked, scanning the restaurant for Gansey and Blue.  
  
“Over there,” Ronan said, pointing to the back corner booth of the seating area.  
  
Gansey reclined leisurely against the red vinyl seat, one arm slung across Blue’s shoulders. Blue tucked herself under his arm, a lazy smile on her lips, sipping at her tea. Her hair combed back into a tiny ponytail and colorful barrettes peppered the crown of her head. Both of Adam’s friends’ cheeks were flushed and an easy look played on their faces. Adam squeezed Ronan’s hand.  
  
“I told you we would find them here,” Ronan quipped.  
  
“Okay, you were right,” Adam relented.  
  
Adam and Ronan had spent another hour hold up in Ronan’s room until they heard the door to Monmouth slam shut and the Pig roar to life. Not that he minded, in fact it was exactly what he needed. His stress had dissolved to a puddle that evaporated quickly. Ronan made sure that every inch of his body was tension free, and Adam eagerly returned the sentiment, though Ronan didn’t have much stress to begin with.  
  
“Ha.” Ronan tugged on Adam’s hand. “Look at ‘em.”  
  
“What about it?”  
  
“They look effectively fucked.” Ronan’s laugh reverberated against Adam’s shoulder.  
  
“As do you,” Adam said stifling a laugh.  
  
Ronan looked at him disdainfully, trying to hide his interest, but the slight tinge of pink to his cheeks told Adam otherwise.  
  
“Come on, loser.” Ronan yanked Adam toward the booth.  
  
“Hey,” Ronan said. “Fancy seeing you two here.”  
  
Gansey and Blue jumped at his voice, pulling them from their trance.  
  
Gansey wiped the easy, relaxed look off his face and knocked fists with both of his friends as they slid into the booth beside them. The waitress appeared and Adam ordered Ronan and him drinks, and Blue ordered a pizza for the table, while Gansey and Ronan discussed something about cars.  
  
“So, Maggot,” Ronan peered around Gansey to Blue. “How was your time with Dick?”  
  
The double entendre wasn’t lost on anyone at the table. Adam tried to wipe the grin off his face, but wasn’t as successful as he wanted to be. Gansey’s cheeks flamed red and Blue narrowed her eyes into a death stare.  
  
“Why don’t you ask him yourself, Ronan.” The words were laced with venom.  
  
“So Dick, how were you?”  
  
Gansey hid his face in his hands.  
  
“Ronan,” Gansey groaned against the table.  
  
“I just want to know if Maggot enjoyed her time with Dick.”  
  
Adam exploded into a fit of laughter.  
  
“Adam,” Blue spit. “Reign your boyfriend in before I make him a eunuch. I haven’t used my switchblade lately.”  
  
“Ronan,” Adam warned around laughs. “I think she’s serious.”  
  
Gansey picked his head off the table. “Ronan, back off.” His words didn’t hold any heat.  
  
Ronan opened his mouth to likely let loose another barb, but the waitress interrupted with the pizza.  
  
“One large, deep dish, half avocado, half sausage,” she said sitting the pizza down in the center of the table.  
  
“Damn it, Gansey, can’t you pick toppings that doesn’t want to make everyone else barf?” Ronan asked, plucking a piece of sausage from the pan.  
  
“Ronan, did you enjoy your dick?” Gansey replied, laughing generously and serving Blue a slice of pizza as she stared down Ronan with contempt.  
  
Ronan raised an eyebrow, his look effectively conveying disinterest to all, but Adam who could see the clinch in his jaw that spelled out war. Ronan was fiercely protective of his relationship with Adam and quick to defend it.    
  
Adam slid his hand over Ronan’s knee. “Easy tiger,” he said under his breath.  
  
Ronan relaxed under his touch and his hand found Adam’s.  
  
“You bet I did, Dick.” Ronan spit out.  
  
“So, Blue, how did you do on your finals?” Adam asked trying to change the subject.  
  
“I think I did great. How about you?” She took a large bite out of her slice of pizza.  
  
“I’m sure I did fine. I’m just glad it’s all over. The stress was just too much.”  
  
Blue and Gansey nodded in agreement, strange smiles and far away looks on their faces. Gansey leaned back into Blue and Adam squeezed Ronan’s hand.  
  
“I didn’t mind it,” Ronan said matter-of-factly, picking up another slice of pizza. “It made Adam horny as fuck.”  
  
It was Adam’s turn to hide his hands in his face as the table exploded into an uproar of laughter.  
  
From almost under the table, Adam retorted, “Lynch, you’re now in charge of cleaning Monmouth by yourself.”  
  
Ronan shrugged. “I only clean naked.”  
  
An echo of groans sounded from the table. Adam shook his head, but smiled, and wondered with a wicked smile, if he could get Ronan to clean St. Agnes for him.  
  



End file.
